Donald Trump Archives - Page 3 of 24 - Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education

August 13, 2021 to August 14, 2023: Mike Lindell to Jack Smith

June 22, 2023
by Peter Feinman

Pillowhead's Cyber Symposium just before Trump's return to office

AUGUST 13, 2021

It seems like only yesterday when Pillowhead was championing August 13, 2021, as the day when the real President of the United States would return to the White House and resume his position as the rightful POTUS. He never got around to explaining exactly how this restoration would occur. Séance Sidney was of little use here either. But somehow it was going to happen.

These modern day Millerites were doomed to unrequited dreams just as happened back in 1843/1844 when the world did not come to an end as predicted. If at first you don’t succeed, then try, try, again. Eventually, those who prayed/thought their savior would be restored to power, faced the hard reality that no such moment of truth would occur on August 13, 2021 or even afterwards during Joe Biden’s term. In fact, nothing would occur except Pillowhead making a spectacle of himself at his own symposium. His evidence instead showed that there was no there there.

On April 19, 2023. Mike Lindell was ordered to pay $5 million to a software expert who proved that Pillowhead’s data was bogus. A real computer forensic expert had shown the data Pillowhead presented was gibberish and nonsense. Naturally, in the true Trumpian tradition, Pillowhead refused to pay the winner of the “Prove Mike Wrong” contest. The case is now being litigated. Of course, what is $5 million compared to the $1.3 billion lawsuit filed by Dominion. The true mystery is how Pillowhead came to believe that he had real data that would blow the stolen election case wide open and return Trump to the White House. Is it possible for someone’s product to be smarter than its marketer?

AUGUST 14, 2023

Now flash forward two years and one day to August 14, 2023. In a surprise move, the so-called Trump Judge set an early date for the commencement of the Mar-a-Largogate trial. Given the standard tactic of “delay, delay, delay,” one would have expected a date off into the future. A date less than eight weeks away was truly a speedy trial date. Of course, August 14, 2023, is merely a target date. It is not the date when the trial actually will begin. Still, the setting of this early date, suggests that the Judge will not be the path to acquittal or at least post-election trial that many people once feared. It is still too early to tell, but as of now, the prospects are full speed ahead.

The obstacles to a speedy trial are well known. There is the need for the defendant to decide on his legal team. There is a need to obtain various security clearances once all the players are identified. There are various legal claims and challenges the defense may offer, many of which already have been discussed endlessly on cable TV and elsewhere. Undoubtedly, such actions will push the trial date back considerably. Once the trial does get underway, it should be the slam dunk many commentators have been predicting. So far there are no witnesses for the defense. The defendant acts like a witness for the prosecution every time he opens his mouth. In this action, he is joined by many other people from his home who will be testifying against him. At this point, the best thing the defendant has going for him is a MAGA juror.

DISCOVERY

To highlight the speed at which the trial is unfolding, Jack Smith presented the Trump defense team with much of the testimony and evidence from the grand jury which will be used in the actual trial. This information includes the names of the people who will testify against the defendant, videos including the defendant’s own performances on cable TV, and other videos. As one might expect, the defendant’s own words will form a powerful part of the testimony against him without him even taking the stand. This evidence, with more to come, delivers the message that it is really is a slam dunk case with the outcome of prison time for his convictions on multiple counts.

Here is where the human element becomes a factor. So far the analysis has tended to view the defendant as person immune to the reality in which he is now living. He is treated as if he is THE DONALD who can triumph over anything the corrupt Department of Justice in the real world throws against him.

As a result, we have been hearing more about Eugene Debs running for President from jail then what it would mean on a human level for THE DONALD to be declared a loser in the court and sentenced to prison time even if house arrest.

Similarly, we have been hearing about his base of support which cannot be moved under any circumstances.

The human factor is being overlooked. Some commentators have expressed their faith in the jury system. Once people take an oath and sit in the courtroom, the gravity of the situation takes over. And if a juror fashions himself to be Henry Fonda in Twelve Angry Men, the situation is quite different here. The defendant already has admitted his guilt as will be shown to the jurors. All the witnesses against him will be his own people. No one will take stand on his behalf. As most recently exhibited in his interview on Fox with Bret Baier and in his deposition in the successful civil case against him, he should never be allowed to speak under oath. His natural venue is the professional political wrestling arena. There he can feed off the energy of the MAGA crowd while he spews his nonsense. He will not have that opportunity in the Mar-a-Largogate trial. Instead he will be a tired shrunken old man cringing at what is unfolding before him.

For a person who demands loyalty, the first batch of evidence must have been a shock. Forget about the abstract notions of move and countermove with motions to delay the trial. What the defendant now sees is that he cannot trust anyone. This is far beyond the Michael Cohen case. At this point we do not know how many of his own people will be arrayed against him. We can only imagine shock he already has experienced. While he is not capable of reading the prosecution evidence in the discovery, his lawyers can and have. They already knew their client was guilty. Now the magnitude of the evidence against their client has been dumped on them. Surely they know if this case goes to trial, they will lose. Surely they knew the penalty for losing will be prison time. Surely they have communicated this to their client.

The issue now is not whether the defendant will spill the names of the people who will testify against him. He might just as well read the employment roster from Mar-a-Lago. What this mountain of evidence means is that the 78 year-old defendant can see prison time for the rest of his life looming before him. Something transformative is happening. He is transforming from the alternate reality in which he and his MAGA followers have been living to the real world. As he hears about people who did his bidding on January 6 being sentenced for 12 years, the stark reality of leaving the alternate reality for the real world sinks in. Forget about the actual dates for the start of the trial, the discovery process is the ghost of Christmas future where his world will be a horrible one for him. This time when his lawyers suggest a plea deal, THE DONALD may be much more willing to accept one if it keeps him out of prison. Jack Smith has poured a bucket of water on the wicked witch of the White House leaving the defendant a timid, incoherent, babbling mess desperate for a way out. And there is still Georgia and other federal cases to come.

The impact of THE DONALD accepting a plea deal will be momentous. It will change the dynamic in the House. It will change the dynamic in the Presidential election. It will change the dynamic among the MAGA. Their Lord and Savior, Blessed Be His Name, only he can save them and deliver divine retribution will shrink in size to being an old defeated loser. And if he does not enter in a plea agreement then the alternate path will be prison which will derail him even more. Now THE DONALD has discovered the truth in real world and it scares and frightens him.

Beautiful Mind Classified Boxes, Linus Blanket, and Stuffed Animals

June 20, 2023
by Peter Feinman

A beautiful mind can connect dots that do not even exist (https://i.imgflip.com/2fg4dr.jpg)

One might think that the arraignment of an ex-President of the United States for the first time in American history would be a day of metaphorical fireworks if not actual violence. Instead the day was routine, not wild. If one did not know that something historically momentous was occurring one would not know it from the events at the Courthouse. Maybe it was just another O.J. or some other Hollywood figure arriving to plead his case.

The real fireworks began after the arraignment. In one short day, the defendant travelled from being on his home turf where he is in-charge to a courthouse where the judge makes the rules to being back home-sweet-home in New Jersey. Quite a whirlwind experience.

What are the lessons to be learned from this day and its aftermath?

1. The media-hyped threat of violence has been overblown. So far there have been two cases in New York and now one in Florida with no violence in sight. Certainly there has been social media chatter about violence and there always is the possibility of a lone wolf, mentally ill or not, of exploding in violence. But so far there is no sign of any repeat of January 6. My prediction still is that this pattern will continue with subsequent arraignments. By this point in time, people are used to the idea of him being arraigned. It has become no big deal. It isn’t as if he is being hauled off to prison or even to jail. He is still free to roam around the country and without an ankle bracelet or having to surrender his passport.

2. The loudest voices have come from Congress … or at least these are the people the media interviews or whose tweets they read. These people can be subdivided in different groups:

The people who are going to be indicted themselves or at least subpoenaed as attention shifts to January 6 and the fake electors
The people who genuinely lack the mental necessities to understand the magnitude of the criminal actions undertaken by the Loser
The people who are political cowards who know that he is guilty through and through but lack the courage of their convictions
The people who seek to exploit the crime for their own gain by being front and center in the media to vouch for the criminal.

These people thrive on making a spectacle of themselves secure in the knowledge that supporting the Loser is no crime but an obligation.

3. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the prosecution wins the battle of public display hands down. The bathroom image resonates with everyone. When the Unpresidential Library (Fox & Friends and the Unpresidential Library April 30, 2018; The Unpresidential Library: The Adolescent Room July 30, 2019; Presidential Shrine versus Unpresidential Library for the Former Guy March 2, 2021) is built dedicated to the criminal activities of the Loser President, this image will hold a prominent place. During his career, the Loser has been the master media manipulator. With the bathroom boxes, he may have met his match.

4. It would appear that the document boxes are his stuffed animals, Linus blanket, and night light all wrapped into one. His staff called them his “beautiful mind boxes.” In the past I have used the phrase “beautiful mind” to refer to MAGAs and Sean Hannity (MAGA’s Have “A Beautiful Mind:” There Is No Cure, February 20, 2023; What Do Seth Rich and the Ukraine Have in Common? Answer: Sean Hannity October 6, 2019; Hannity versus Mueller: Who Is the Better Dot Connector? January 29, 2018). By that, I was referring to Hannity’s skill in connecting the dots to see conspiracies that did not exist, for example, Seth Rich. The immature child who could only connect two dots therefore outsourced this higher level of thinking to Hannity who could connect multiple dots.

5. The most damaging and scary words come once again from the Loser himself. The axiom of when you are in a hole stop digging, does not apply to the immature child with the emotional maturity of a three-year-old who is being told play time is over and it is time to face the music. He now is facing the most dangerous time in his life. He knows that he is guilty on all counts. He knows that his own words will be used against him once again. And he knows that there can be real consequences, yet he cannot stop nor can his lawyers stop him.

As one listens to the Loser fulminate, one has legitimate cause to be concerned for the fate of the country. His platform for 2024 is quite clear:

Lock her up
The stolen election
Retribution.

Whether or not these items align with either the Republican Party or the country, does not matter. They are what he wants. He will campaign on these slogans and given the plurality-primaries of the Republican Party, they well may carry him to the nomination.

6. Chris Christie is exactly right when he calls Donald Trump a child loser… even prior to the arraignment. Considering how the Loser handled the news of his loss of the election, one should really expect he would go ballistic as soon as he recovered from the trial ordeal. Christie needs to carry that description forward whenever he talks about his opponent. The loser is a child who is behaving exactly like a child when the parent (the law) tell him playtime is over.

Unfortunately Christie remains a lone voice in the wilderness. Almost all the other candidates are hanging back, letting the process unfold. If enough of them took to social media and campaign appearances to similarly denounce the three-time child loser who is leading the party over a cliff, then perhaps the dynamic would change.

7. All the witnesses against him will be Republicans and/or people who worked or who still work for him. The constant drumbeat of one witness after another exposing the criminal activity of the Loser will deliver a powerful message of guilt. We already had one trial where his own words provided some of the most compelling evidence against. The same will be true this time. Whether it is his own public words about classified documents from the 2016 campaign, his own public words about owning the documents and declassifying them in his mind, to the actual testimony of a wide array of people, it is easy to see why this is a slam dunk case that will only take a few weeks.

Exactly who will the Loser call as a witness? He certainly won’t testify himself on his own behalf. His lawyers will tie him up and gag him before they would allow that. It will be challenging enough coping with his social media messages and campaign appearances. It is no wonder his some of his lawyers have abandoned ship and other lawyers have refused to even board. Each and every day bears the risk that their will further incriminate himself and dig himself even deeper into the hole he dug for himself.

His rhetoric is likely to become ever more vehement, vicious, and vituperous as the steady drumbeat of arraignments, court appearances, and cases continues. There will be a cumulative effect on him, his apologists, and even MAGA as the legal saga continues. One should keep in mind that he never will be able to defend himself in court and there will be more and more restrictions on what he can say out of court. At some point, it may even sink in that yes, it is a witch hunt and Jack Smith is his Dorothy.

Apocalypse Now: The Seal Is Broken

June 19, 2023
by Peter Feinman

Countdown to Armageddon (Bible Study Notebook)

Donald Trump is not considered to be a religious person. He did, however attend church when he was growing up. First he attended a local church in Queens, First Presbyterian Church. Later he attended the more famous Marble Collegiate Church, on Fifth Avenue, where Norman Vincent Peale was the minister. According to legend, Trump met Marla Maples, his second wife, there, the woman who looks the like woman who successfully sued him because she was not his type. He did attend Sunday School classes at First Presbyterian and later donated $10,000 church in recognition of the good memories he had of his childhood experience there.

One may speculate that it was there that he first encountered the Book of Revelation although it may have occurred later. You never know what bits and pieces of Scripture will stick in someone’s mind. Perhaps something in the story of the ultimate showdown appealed to him as did who would be the victorious savior.

Revelation 6:1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, “Come!”² And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.³ When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”⁴ And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword.⁵ When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand;⁶ and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!”⁷ When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”⁸ And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne;¹⁰ they cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?”¹¹ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.¹² When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,¹³ and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale;¹⁴ the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,¹⁶ calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;¹⁷ for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?”

7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree.² Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea,³ saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.”⁴ And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,….⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!”¹¹ And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.”¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?”¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.¹⁵ Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence.¹⁶ They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.¹⁷ For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Now the seal has been broken. Now we have witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country. This day will go down in history. The time of divine retribution is at hand. I am the only one who can save this nation.

It is difficult to know how the mind of this immature child actually works as he plays his games of being grown-up. One consideration should be the impact of how religious images from his youth have defined how he sees the world and his place in it. All the more reason to be petrified if he returns to power and begins casting judgement on those who disobeyed his every wish.

Would Jim Jordan Rather Be Institutionalized in Congress or Prison?

June 8, 2023
by Peter Feinman

Dorothy, You have changed! (Greg Groesch/The Washington Times)

Play time is over. It was a lot of fun defying Congressional subpoenas, investigating the Biden criminal conspiracy, and appearing on Foxhub to spout nonsense. But now the party is over. The time of adult supervision has arrived. There really is law and people who are dedicated to enforcing it. That means the moment of truth has or will soon arrive for all the people who participated in the in the planning of the insurrection and the attempt to steal the election.

The standard Mafia rules apply. Start with the small fish and work your way up the food chain. That applies not only to the hundreds of people who physically assaulted the Capitol, but to the people who organized the event and who were responsible for Mar-a-Lagogate.

THE SPECIAL COUNSEL

We have been distracted from what has been going on behind the scenes. The civil case in which Trump was held liable and the “small” indictment in New York City that so many people wished hadn’t gone first obscured where the action was. Even the “imminent” case in Georgia which now apparently means August still seemed like a long way off making people wonder if Trump ever would be held accountable for his actions.

For so long we have been hearing about how aggressive Jack Smith was as a prosecutor without any overt sign that anything was happening. Yes, there was witness after witness being subpoenaed and called to testify … apparently more than we knew, but no indictments seemed forthcoming. Meanwhile the presidential election cycle commenced. More and more candidates came forward. Finally even one willing to confront Trump and his criminal family by name declared his candidacy. It was as if everyone else was holding back, waiting for the dam to break, waiting for the moment when Trump became not only a loser but a federally indicted loser as well. Now we are at that moment as well. It is time for people to decide whether they wish to join Trump or does self-preservation come first. Does Jim Jordan really want to go to prison?

THE FORK IN THE ROAD

These past few days have witnessed a flurry of activities. Some of them are witnessed in the present of their occurrence. Some of them are events which happened in the past but are now seeing the light of day.

We know that in Georgia we should not be surprised about the number and names of the people to be indicted.

We know that Georgia judges have been informed to clear their schedules for August.

We know that the Special Counsel has communicated to Trump’s lawyers that he is the target for Mar-a-Lagogate.

We know that former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has testified before the grand jury. We don’t know how cooperative he was. Presumably he was made to realize that there already is enough evidence to convict him so his best deal is not to plead the 5^th but to tell the truth. He seems to have pleaded guilty to at least some charges.

We know that Steve Bannon has been subpoenaed. In previous blogs, I have used him as an example of what does he have to gain by going down with the ship. He knows that loyalty is a one-way street with The Donald. He knows that The Donald would have no hesitation to throw him under the bus. So why give him that opportunity?

The same applies to the other members of the inner cabal. I am referring to the people in the so-called War Room. I am referring to the members of the House of Representatives to whom Trump referred in his call to Georgia. At some point these people will realize that this witch hunt is for real. It is time to start thinking about saving their own skin.

THE DAM HAS BURST

We may be witnessing the beginning of a deluge. The number of people willing to fall on their sword for Trump is probably far fewer than expected. Remember how Michael Cohen once pledged eternal loyalty and like some Secret Service agent and would take a bullet for The Donald. We are long past that point now.

It’s amazing how suddenly and abruptly the actions of the Special Consel have changed the dynamic. For so long there seemed to be as little movement as on the lines between Russia and Ukraine. Then in an instant, everything changed. By the time Roger Stone is subpoenaed, he may be begging for a deal. Everyone knows that incumbent elected officials in Washington do not want to give up their perks. How much less to they want to do so to defend the criminal actions of Donald Trump? This week, the damn has broken open. Everyone who was part of the criminal conspiracy has been put on very short notice that the time has come for them to put up or be shut up in prison.

There is always a risk in writing a blog like this because by the time it is posted and then distributed it may be obsolete. The Mar-a-Lago indictment could be any moment now be it in Florida or Washington. The witnesses for the Prosecution will be either Republicans or people who worked for him at Mar-a-Lago. The MAGAs won’t know who to attack first or even who to attack at all. The Donald, of course, will not take the stand to defend himself or any other of the people charged. He will however continue to rant and rave on social media digging himself ever deeper into a whole. The odds are Jim Jordan and the other conspirators are not going to want to jump in with them. Instead they will be more likely to help bury him. The Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024 will become a wide open contest. Everything is different now.

CNN New Hampshire and January 6, 2025

June 1, 2023
by Peter Feinman

Only the technology has changed (Sony tape recorder used to tape conversations in the White House, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives and Records Administration)

CNN has taken a lot of flack for providing free airtime to a person incapable of telling the truth except by accident. The ratings were not spectacular and there is no indication that this will be a repeat of 2016.

In many ways, CNN did the nation a favor. Think back to the trial which had just ended the day before. His own testimony under deposition helped hold him liable. No matter how well prepared his lawyers might have been, no one could have anticipated that he would confuse E. Jean Carroll with his second wife Marla Maples. The lesson to be learned is the more he talks the deeper into a hole he digs himself. CNN provided an opportunity for him to defame Carroll as a wack job whom he did not know. The result has been an increase in the amount of damages sought against him. Good thinking immature child with the emotional maturity of a three-year old, just keep talking.

And now there are tapes.

The same applies to one exchange that has not received the attention it deserves. He was asked if he would accept the results on the 2024 election if he lost. The answer was “No!” In his terms he replied only if he decided the election was honest. Translated in to English, that means if he loses again to Joe Biden (assuming he is the nominee) he will not accept the results.

So what? His Arizona gubernatorial candidate has not accepted the results that she lost and what impact has it had? Unfortunately it does mean a possible Senate candidacy for her. If she should win that then the Senate could have its own counterpart to Marjorie Taylor Greene.

HE’S A LOSER

One should keep in mind that the wannabees will be spending months tarnishing the image of Criminal Loser Liar Trump. They already have begun referring to the losses experienced by the Republican Party due to him. Every time they refer to the Republican Party as a loser party, they are indirectly attacking and rejecting his claims of being a winner.

He did not win the popular vote in 2016.
His party did lose the Congressional elections in 2018.
He did not win the popular vote or electoral vote in 2020.
Election deniers did not win in 2022.

In short, everything he touches dies. At some point, people in the Republican Party are going to place winning over fealty to The Donald. Survival trumps obedience. The story will not be the same everywhere. But the more Republicans face the threat of losing in a state despite all their efforts to suppress the vote – or because they have a conscience – the more resistant to blindly following the Criminal Loser Liar will. Certainly with all the presidential candidates, some will hammer home the message that The Donald is a loser. Especially if one wants to stand out on a crowded debate stage, the greater the likelihood of confronting the Criminal Loser Liar head on. Given the winner-take-all format of Republican primaries, such attacks may not be sufficient to prevent him from wining a plurality even if he is under multiple indictments. What it does mean it that Democrats don’t need to spend much effort attacking him until after the Republican convention, the Republicans will be doing it for them.

JANUARY 6, 2025

Despite all the legal threats and attacks from Republican presidential candidates, he still could be the nominee. What are the options then if he loses again to Joe Biden? They would seem to be quite limited.

Will he unleash Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell on the state legislatures again? Unlikely since they are likely to be on trial for their efforts last time around.

Will he seize voting machines as he failed to do last time? No, he would have no power to do so?

Will he create alternate electors to stealthily cast votes on his behalf? No, the fake electors from last time will be on trial or have sought immunity deals for themselves for their actions. It seems unlikely that anyone would try that route again.

Will state legislatures with Republican super-majorities openly declare alternate electors if necessary? Meaning if they calculate the electoral votes needed and coordinate their actions with other states with Republican super-majorities sufficient to close the gap? Unlikely although it remains a possibility depending on how the Supreme Court rules. Even if it rules in their favor it would be such a brazen step to steal the election, I question whether such a maneuver would even work. Even as I write this the current Texas Attorney General who might be expected to lead the charge may find himself removed from office.

Will he call upon his patriotic tourists to assemble at the Capitol with the cry that “it will be wild”? Unlikely. This time the Capitol will be fully prepared for the arrival of his tourists, his good people whom he loves. Those people will have seen what happened last time. They have seen the arrests. They have seen the convictions. They have seen the sentencing. All this talk about pardoning the tourists from 2020 are a constant reminder of the consequences of their attempt to steal the election. Consider the outcry over his first indictment in New York. It was a big nothingburger.

As one examines the various options available to the two-time loser, one sees that they are quite limited. They are more in the style of Kari Lake. She can huff and puff all she wants but she cannot undo the election results. By this point, even his own followers expect him to be indicted.

In short, it is good to have on record on his unwillingness to accept the results in 2024 unless he wins. It is something his fellow Republican candidates can criticize the big baby for in their own campaigns. So the bottom line is if he calls for a national effort to steal the election in 2024 so he can win, nothing much will happen. He would just be a laughingstock as he continues to defend himself in court(s) from the last time he tried to steal the election.

At least this time he telegraphed his punches and CNN should be thanked for giving him that opportunity to expose himself.

Of course, it is also possible that he will win the election.

Jim Brown, Dianne Feinstein, and Donald Trump: Knowing When to Leave the Stage

May 22, 2023
by Peter Feinman

When do you leave the stage? Do you have to die first? I thought about this because of three people who were in the NYT on May 20, 2023, print.

Hall of Famer Jim Brown who had died (front page)
Senator Dianne Feinstein who is deteriorating before our very eyes (front page)
Former President Donald Trump.

As I was reading the various articles, I realized there was a connection whether by chance, coincidence, or design or some combination.

ATHLETES

When should an athlete hang up his/her cleats? Oftentimes the decision is not up to the athlete. Sometimes a person does not make the team or no longer can make the team. People may find at age 25 that their sports career is over. What do they do next? Suppose they have no high school degree? Or no college degree except maybe showing up for class. What are they going to do for the rest of their life?

Jim Brown went out on top. He was still capable of years of high level performance as a running back in the NFL. Yet he chose to leave that career and pursue other actions such as movies.

Sandy Koufax was another athlete who retired at the top of his game. In his case, it was for medical reasons. He simply could not do what he had been doing without destroying himself.

Lately tennis has provided multiple examples of people leaving the sport. They seem to do so not while they at the top of the game but while they have faded and no longer are a relevant force at the championship tournaments. Roger Federer, Venus Williams, and Serena Williams all played past their prime. They play on when injuries and surgeries had replaced winning as their reason for being in the news. Now Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the French Open, his tournament so clearly his end is in sight. It is time for him for retire or take a farewell tour.

Sometimes people retire because they have nothing left to prove and a lot to lose if they continue to play – see John Elway and Peyton Manning.

And then there are Tiger Woods and Tom Brady.

But eventually time catches up with all athletes. That does not mean they know when to leave the stage; sometimes they need to be pushed.

POLITICIANS

Politicians don’t come with expiry dates. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein both became Senators from California in 1992, the Year of the Woman. Boxer stepped down last cycle and sometimes can be seen as a talking head on cable news. By contrast, not only did Feinstein run one cycle ago when she could have stepped down after a long and successful career; she ran again. She pledged to step down next time and not run in 2024. Already candidates are stepping up to run in that election.

Feinstein also is gambling that she will make it until then. Her deterioration has become quite noticeable. Her most recent public appearances have been shocking. Her physical appearance was of someone in a senior living home close to hospice. She clearly is not capable of doing her job right now yet alone continuing for another year and half. She would be the winner of the Strom Thurmond Award for the most physically and mentally diminished Senator of the year. Even 89-year-old Chuck Grassley is robust by comparison.

We are at the stage now where the kids have to tell mom and/or dad that is it time to stop driving before they hurt themselves or someone else or both. Unfortunately there is no one to do so in the Senate. To be fair, it is possible that situation will change at any moment. Just because she says she wants to remain in office until the end of her term does not mean will do so.

As a result, the Governor of California never knows from day to day if he will have to a momentous decision.

As a result, the Senate Majority leader never knows from day to day what the status of having a working majority will be.

As a result, the Vice President never knows when she will have to be on standby for a critical vote in the Senate.

Clearly Feinstein is no Jim Brown, Sandy Koufax, or even Tom Brady.

DONALD TRUMP

Determining when the immature child with the emotional maturity of a three year old will leave the stage is much more problematical. He needs to be at the center of the stage. He needs for the attention to be on him. He needs to be packing in audiences and filling arenas so he can brag about how he is still the one around whom all the wannabees circle. So far nothing has happened to thrust him off the island. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen prior to the Republican convention. That doesn’t mean on a Republican debate stage the other candidates won’t gang up on him with the cry, “You are a loser. You’re fired.”

Now people are waiting with baited breath for the big indictments to follow. When will the Fulton Georgia District Attorney invite him and a slew of people to make themselves available? Apparently the beginning of August. Although everyone knows it is coming, it will still be shock when all the names are read, the charges are made public, and the people scramble to show up. The experience will cement his image as a loser, and a whiny loser at that.

Then comes the heavy artillery at the federal level. Mar-a-largogate is likely to be another blow to the head. Even his own lawyers are abandoning ship.Everytime their client opens his mouth he digs himself deeper in to a hole and undercuts the work of his lawyers. It is not as if the indictment in August will of one individual only. It is not as if the indictment will be for one charge only. The rooster of people who have received immunity also will be a shock. And all the witnesses arrayed against him will be Republicans including people who had worked for him.

But wait! There is more.

There is the federal indictment for seeking to influence the election at the state legislators.
There is the federal indictment for the fake electors.
There is the federal indictment for January 6.

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani will be accumulating indictments of his own.

In short, the pressure for him to leave the stage will mount. I have no idea what will happen then. I do not know how the indictments will change the political landscape. I suspect these indictments will take their toll and provide real Republicans the cover they need to push him aside. Real Republicans are even reluctant to run if there will be a MAGA RINO at the top of the ticket or running in a primary against them. It is quite possible that it will be the Republicans themselves who finally push him offstage as the indictments pile up and he rants and raves in response.

And he is being sued again now for $3 million. He can’t keep his mouth shut. I do not know how the indictments will impact him physically and mentally. I do not know what will happen if the immature child with the emotionally maturity of a three-year-old erupts on his media outlet, is shut down by multiple judges, and defies them. We will have to wait and see.

One thing we can be sure of, he won’t leave at the top of his game.

Will Tucker Carlson Become Michael Cohen?

April 25, 2023
by Peter Feinman

Michael Cohen Testifying (Source: Diego M. Radzinschi) and Tucker Carlson receiving a subpoena for January 6 (Getty Images)

Will Tucker Carlson become Michael Cohen? Right now commentators comment on the options Carlson has for his future. Some of the suggestions may be taken as tongue in cheek: no, he will not work for RT … although he could become a reporter for them! The problem then would not be disseminating his message in Russia but in the United States. If he does not care about his American audience then playing the Russian card seems legitimate. But Carlson is a young male by Don Lemon standards still in his prime so he may prefer something larger. As the great Yogi said, “when you come to the fork in the road, take it.” Carlson is now at that proverbial fork in the road.

ANOTHER NETWORK

Yes, there are other networks. Whether or not they can afford Carlson is another matter. Furthermore, another network will not give him the outsize presence in the American political arena he had with Foxhub. Does the name Chris Cuomo ring a bell? How about Bill O’Reilly? Or Glen Beck? At some point, Carlson’s slot will be filled. That person will be different in style and personality but probably not too much in politics and social values … at least those expressed on the air.

It is not as if the audience Carlson cared about in the texts revealed in the lawsuit will automatically follow him to wherever he goes. After all that audience already knows that Carlson cannot be trusted to tell them the truth or to respect their intelligence. It is hard to see how another network or even creating his own podcast will keep him in the limelight. Anyone who accepts his invitation to appear on Carlson’s show would be jeopardizing their chances to appear on Foxhub.

WORK FOR TRUMP

Another possibility is to work for Trump in some capacity during the campaign and then during the Trump administration. This option poses its own problems. Carlson is used to operating independently and not being supervised by anyone. While it is perfectly permissible for Trump himself to go off the deep rails secure in the knowledge that his flunkies will support him, the same cannot be said in reverse. Apparently some of Carlson’s shows surprised and angered the higher ups in the Fox business organization. If that happened in a Trump bureaucracy, then Carlson would not last long. How long could Carlson survive if kept on a tight leash? Imagining him as a Press Secretary brings shudders to everyone and his survival time would be limited.

BECOME A NEW TUCKER CARLSON

For now Carlson is facing his own lawsuit and who knows if there are more to come. If the charges prove true, then it is a whole new ball game. Then he has to become concerned not only with spreading disinformation, but with the consequences of his having created a toxic work environment that could lead to more lawsuits down the road wherever he is hired.

Strangely enough despite the rape trial and revival of the Access Hollywood tapes, there have been no additional charges for anything Trump has done in the last 15 years. It is probably the longest he has gone without any sexual and/or harassment charges being levied against him. Since he still is a person of no morals, the change is not because Trump saw the light. Perhaps his current wife lay down the law about what would happen if he is caught again. On the other hand, given his age, it is possible he just lost his mojo. Either way, the change in behavior is rather remarkable. So maybe Carlson’s next work environment won’t be as toxic. He could change.

BECOME THE NEW MICHAEL COHEN

One final consideration is to go straight and tell the truth. What does he have to gain by not telling the truth? Everybody knows now what he really thought about January 6 in contrast to his “documentary.” We have heard what he has had to say/tweet about the cast of characters and their “evidence” to overturn the results of the 2020 election. We know what he thinks about calling the election in Arizona. We certainly know what he has said/tweeted about the person who actually was trying to steal the election. So when Carlson is deposed to appear in the Federal investigation into the events surrounding January 6, what reason does he have to lie or to take the Fifth? Think of how much he knows about the goings on inside the White House and inside the head of the President.

If Carlson should decide to tell the truth, then the floodgates maybe opened. There are so many topics Carlson potentially could tell the truth about with even more coverage that Michael Cohen. Ukraine, COVID, COVID vaccines in addition to January 6. These are not areas where Carlson would be asked to violate his values. Instead all he would be asked to do is to tell the truth.

Carlson would then have the opportunity to explain the Dominion tweets which so rocked the non-Trump world. Michael Cohen does not hesitate for a moment to delve into the psyche and emotional immaturity of the person he calls DONALD. We already know what Carlson really thinks about Trump the person. One can imagine Carlson having counted the weeks, the days, the hours, and the minutes before he was rid of the demonic destroyer he passionately despises. Now here we are almost two years later with Carlson out of a job and Trump on the path to Presidential Election Round II. So why not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? He has no audience to lose and a place in history to gain.

At this point, no one knows for sure what Tucker Carlson will do. Even he might not know. His mind may be a swirl of emotions and roads to take. It may take time for it to settle down. In the meantime there will be more Trump indictments and possible subpoenas. Carlson had moments in his past when he wondered about his journey when things were not going well in his career. Now he is at the biggest moment of his life with the biggest fork in the road staring him in the face. Will Tucker Carlson become a profile in courage or will he continue to be the toxic person spewing disinformation wherever he goes for the rest of his life?

Indictment Water Torture: Drip (1), Drip (2), Drip (3), Drip (4) …

April 2, 2023
by Peter Feinman

The constant drip of indictments (Individual image from WABC)

Donald Trump has now entered a new phase of his life. From this point in life until the day he dies, his life will revolve around criminal charges. Whereas for decades he has succeeded in avoiding having criminal charges filed against him, in this new phase, everything will be about his criminality – his indictments, his trials, his penalties including possible imprisonment.

All the while as this first indictment of the Wicked Witch of the West Wing unfolds, he will watch a parade of his nearest and dearest Flying Monkeys being forced to testify against him. And he has to live with the possibility that one or more of them could go “Michael Cohen.” After all, what does Steve Bannon have to gain by falling on his sword for him and going to prison for him?

A key area not being fully discussed is the logistics of the indictments. I am not referring to what may or may not happen on Tuesday when he supposedly peacefully surrender. Instead I am referring to what happens when the next indictment occurs which should be imminent. That one will be “massive” and include a host of characters in a possible RICO charge.

All the fuss about the weakness of the New York indictment and whether it should have been first or not misses the point. For now it occupies center stage. The trial won’t even begin for months. But in a few short days that indictment will share the stage with the next indictment. Stop focusing on the minutia of what will happen Tuesday and start thinking about what will happen after the next indictment and the ones to come.

THE DEFENDANT

Obviously one person cannot be in two places at the same time. The challenge the judges will have is in the scheduling of the two cases. They will have to coordinate their decisions. Will the two cases be tried sequentially? If so, which one comes first?

To some extent the scheduling may depend on what appeals are filed. By now all judges are wise to the ways of delay practiced by the defendant and his expensive lawyers who demand to be paid. At this point, regardless of what indictment came first, that does not mean which case will be tried first.

Where will the defendant stay at night for the Fulton County indictment? To the best of my knowledge he does not have a home there. Will he say at the home of a MAGA supporter who subsequently will turn the room into a tourist site? Will he stay in jail (which is free!)? How about Motel 6? Whatever the answer is, the point is the defendant will have to make lodging decisions about where he will stay during the trial of each indictment. Those decisions will be dependent on the decisions of others, that is, the judges. Other people will now have control of his schedule.

JURORS

There are limits as to how much the judges can disrupt the lives of the jurors during these trials. They are, after all, regular Americans with lives to lead. If the judges seek to alternate the conducting of the trials if they are not sequential, then how would that work? If there are too many gaps leading to too long a trial, then that would not be fair to either the defendant or the jurors. The scheduling of the two trials given multiple indictments is not a topic that I have heard discussed so far.

In addition, jurors will be aware of the jurors from the other cases. They will see how these jurors are treated in the media and by MAGAs. Even if they are precluded from discussing their own case, they will be talking about the other cases.

DEFENDANTS

The probable additional defendants in the Fulton County case adds another complicating wrinkle to the scheduling efforts.

Suppose the Fulton County case defendants includes elected officials. All the attention so far has been on what the New York indictment means for the presidential campaign of one individual. But what if you are a sitting Senator or Georgia State representative, then what? How will your appearances in Court as a defendant during the trial coincide with when your legislative chamber is in session? The effort to reconcile these competing scheduling requirement may well tax the judicial offices. Where is the AI program to weigh all these variables?

GAG ORDER

Time and time again, people advise the best advice for a client like Donald Trump is to keep your mouth shut. Time and time again such advice falls on deaf ears. His recent threatening of death and destruction and inciting MAGAs to take the law into their own hands are examples of this. It only leads to additional charges. Racism and anti-Semitism already have been unleashed. There will be more to come.

Can he take the advice of counsel this time? Presumably, whatever the schedule is for the two trials, he will have weekends off to campaign. Is it possible for him to appear at professional political wrestling rally and not talk about the trials? Exactly what else will he want to talk about for 1-2 hours? Even if he is given a script, past experience shows that he will not stick to it. How will he respond to shouts from the audience about the indictments? And what about his use of social media?

At first he may try self-constraint. For an immature child with the emotional maturity of a three-year old, there is a very short window in which he can behave. Are his handlers going to take away his devices? Are his campaign appearances going to cease because his lawyers, and not the judges, seek to muzzle him? The discussion about the impact of the indictments on his presidential campaign miss the point since it focuses on the reactions of the MAGAs. The true challenge to him will be to curtail speech that would get him in legal trouble. Such self-censorship cannot last for long hence the gag orders. Now we would have a presidential candidate forbidden to communicate until such communications are screened by the judge. In legal terms the logistics of two cases may drive him bonkers.

FEDERAL INDICTMENTS

The pending federal indictments only complicate the matters more. Besides the scheduling, inconveniencing of the jurors, and gag order on a presidential candidate, there are political considerations.

The federal indictments can be divided into four cases:

1. Mar-a-Lagogate – the easy one. It could follow soon after the Fulton County case. This one is fairly straightforward and caries some serious penalties. By this time, Americans will have become used to seeing him arraigned. Maybe some elected MAGA officials will have grown tired of defending him by this point. Maybe they will have seen that contrary to everything Lindsay Graham has said there will not have been any violent uprisings to take the country back from George Soros operatives.

The real political disruption will occur in the next three indictments

2. Obstruction at the state legislatures

3. Alternate electors

4. January 6.

These indictments involve Republican Congressmen referred to in the Georgia phone call. Forget about Mark Meadows and all the other Flying Monkeys for a moment. Focus on the complicit Republican Congressmen. Republicans have a very narrow majority at present. Lindsay Graham’s absence from the Senate because he is on trial does not change the dynamics of the Senate. Five MAGA Representatives on trial does change the dynamics of the House. It changes who will have the majority on the floor of the House for any vote even before 2024. It changes who are running the retribution committees. It changes who may run in 2024.

To wrap up, the New York criminal indictment, separate from the civil indictment with an October trial set, is just the beginning of the rest of the life of Donald Trump. It will have immediate effects simply in scheduling and conducting the trials. It will have medium term political effects when he is gagged by either his lawyers or the judge and in maintaining a working Republican majority in the House. And it will have long term effects as people decide to get off the Trump bus and instead throw him under it. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The Meltdown of the Immature Child and the 2024 Elections

March 26, 2023
by Peter Feinman

Sean Hannity: Trump is a bats--- crazy person

We are witnessing the meltdown of the immature-child loser former president right before our very eyes. People who listened to Mary Trump about her uncle with the emotional maturity of a three year old should not be surprised. People who think of him as an adult may be surprised.

Hard to believe but I first starting blogging about our immature child president over five years ago.

Tom Hanks versus Our Immature Child-President August 8, 2017

Tom Hanks and Donald Trump, Round II March 16, 2020

My conclusion was fairly simple. Through no fault of his own, he is locked into same age Tom Hanks was before he became Big but without the maturity. No surgery, no drug treatment, no therapy can alter that fact. He has been an immature child since the day his father put him in military school in the vain hope that he would grow up. He is an immature child now. He will be an immature child on the day he dies.

I am hardly the only person who recognized that he was an immature child.

“PRESIDENT IS STILL A CHILD…” (Headline NYT July 8, 2020): YES! YES! YES! July 9, 2020

“He is and always will be a terrified little boy,” according to Mary Trump. Exactly. Every decision he makes should be understood through this prism. And it’s only going to get worse for him. The real world is closing in on him in every judicial decision, every poll, and every coronavirus death. Imagine the shock the terrified little boy will experience that first time the jail doors slam on him at Rikers.

Now nearly three years later, he can hear the prison doors as one indictment will follow after another.

For example, Maggie Haberman wrote and spoke about Trump as an immature child. She wrote that some saw nefarious ends in Trump’s behavior, while others “believed he was operating with the emotional development of a 12-year-old, using the intelligence data to get attention for himself.” In an online interview on January 22, 2023, for new book Confidence Man, I asked her:

“Mary Trump says her uncle is an immature child with emotional maturity of a three-year old. Paul Krugman calls him a 14-year old. How do you prepare for an interview with and report on such a person who craves attention more than anyone you have ever covered?”

The last phrase was built on Haberman’s own comment earlier in the interview (not by me) that he craves attention more than anyone she has ever covered. In her reply, she said “Excellent question” and suggested ways of making the conversation about his early days in New York City to create a mood and setting before turning to today and politics.

How often have you heard the phrase “adults in the room” applied to the situation in his White House? We the People could rest easy secure in the knowledge that there were adults in the room who would prevent him from going off the rails. Then one by one Team Normal disappeared to be replaced by a series of whack-a-doodles like Séance Sydney and Ridiculous Rudy and even more dangerous threats to democracy in America like Steve Bannon.

But now those people are facing their own legal jeopardy. Executive privilege no longer applies assuming it ever did. Remember the mantra: everyone who defied a subpoena will be called to testify.

In this new legal world for Trump, what does he have to look forward to?

What Do Putin and Trump Have to Look Forward to? November 13, 2022

2023: The Year of Indictments December 22, 2022

We need to keep in mind that the Congressional referrals [by the House Select Committee] were hardly a surprise. People were just waiting for them to happen. There is a lesson here for Jack Smith: no surprise actions. Keep the people informed. Give us time for your actions to percolate in our brains so when the moment comes any anger will have been diffused.

Trump has nothing to look forward to for the rest on this year and in 2023, the Year of Indictments. And there is more to come.

Finally the real world is catching up with the alternate reality in Donald Trump lives.

Alternate Realities: Science Fiction and the 2020 Election November 11, 2020

A Star Trek episode, The Squire of Gothos (Trelane), predicted January 20, 2021 back in 1967. In that episode the adult alien squire figure really is an immature child in the body of an adult. Here are some lines from an earlier blog (May 24, 2019) that still resonate today….

[T]he pivotal moment comes when Trelane’s parents show up and put a stop to all of his “games”… Immediately, Trelane’s speech patterns change, going from superior and jovial scoundrel to a cranky little boy whose mommy and daddy are telling him it’s time to put his toys away and take a nap. Despite all of his blusterings and exhilaration of the hunt, Trelane protests that he’s just playing around, makes excuses, and even whines that he never gets to have any fun….[T]his call[s] to mind images of a young child being told it’s bedtime right in the middle of playing with its toys.

Exactly our present situation. Now the adults have shown up.

Mr. Spock: For the record, Captain, how do we describe him? Pure mentality? A force of intellect? Embodied energy? Super-being? He must be classified, sir.

Captain James T. Kirk: Then a small boy. And a very naughty one at that.

Mr. Spock: It WILL make a strange entry in the library banks.

Captain James T. Kirk: But then he was a very strange small boy.

All the talk about whether the hush-money case is too small to be the first indictment and one where the Manhattan District Attorney could lose miss the point. Simply with the threat of a criminal indictment looming over him we have seen a rapid degeneration in his language, both verbal and body. There is no more talk about how he would enjoy the perp walk where he would be the center of attention. Quite the contrary, the reality of a criminal indictment of him as an individual is starting to sink in. He can see his lawyer who helped him commit the crime of Margo-a-Largo being forced to testify… to be followed by a criminal indictment. He can see that the Fulton County massive criminal indictment is imminent. He can see that people close to him in the White House from his Vice President to his Chief of Staff are going to be forced to testify. He probably can see that his Congressional co-conspirators, Steve Bannon, and others will be forced to testify as well. Do you think any of them will take a bullet for him? Do you think any of them will be pushed under the bus by him?

Every day will squeeze him more. And if he lashes out in Waco or elsewhere as he did in threatening the Manhattan District Attorney, that simply means more charges added to the obstruction.

Bone-spur Boy is not a brave person. He lacks the right stuff to go into the arena unless it is a rigged professional wrestling arena, rigged professional political wrestling arena (Waco), or a cleared-out Lafayette Square. There will be no Howard Baker moment. Instead the legal Dorothys will throw buckets of water on the wicked witch of the White House West Wing as his Flying Monkeys are picked off one-by-one until there is no one left to defend him and he is all alone. If you think he is unhinged now, then there is more to come.

Biden Boldly Goes Where No President Has Gone Before

February 22, 2023
by Peter Feinman

Kirk never took a ten hour train ride. Beam me up, Scotty.

Joe Biden has boldly gone where no American President has gone before. His journey into a war zone where there are no American troops will be remembered with alongside previous American Presidential combat trips. Who can forget John Kennedy’s proclamation that he was a Berliner at the Berlin Wall or Ronald Reagan’s call to tear down that very wall in Berlin or Donald Trump’s clearing of Lafayette Square for a photo op. These are the defining moments of a presidency producing images that endure throughout history.

As one hears about the intricacies of the trip Biden undertook, one can almost hear the theme from Mission Impossible playing in the background. But now that the journey is complete, one has to ask what did it accomplish, what difference did it make?

This blog will be a bifurcated one because the significance on the global stage does not correlate with that in the domestic arena.

LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD

With this trip, Biden asserted his position as leader of the free world. He is not the leader of the unfree world. However those countries have been put on notice that he is the leader of the free world. In particular, this applies to NATO. That organization has been reinvigorated, unified, and is set to expand. None of these developments are what Putin sought when he launched his special military operation which ended up being war. The Donald Trump era of America alone and thrashing NATO is over … at least until the 2024 presidential election.

As the leader of the free world, Biden has drawn a line in sand in Ukraine. He can no longer allow Ukraine to lose. North Korea/South Korea and North Vietnam/South Vietnam divisions of Ukraine are unacceptable. There are no negotiations possible since only victory is acceptable.

PETER THE GREAT

With this trip, Biden has put Putin on notice that his dreams of Peter the Great will not be fulfilled … at least as long as Biden is President. Biden’s visit serves as a declaration that he will not allow Ukraine to fall on his watch. That means however Putin ratchets up the intensity of the Russian effort, it will be matched by Biden. There is no victory in sight for Putin.

Way back on February 6, I asked Is Putin Winning?: Joe Biden’s Moment of Truth. I wondered what Biden would do. I wrote:

The United States has expended a great deal of military equipment and moral leadership on behalf of Ukraine. Can the United States afford to just walk away from that because we fear Putin?

If we do walk away, it not only means Russia has triumphed over America, it means that China, Iran, and MAGAs have too. Far from being an isolated event, Putin’s war against Ukraine has become a world war. Think of the fuss raised over the Chinese spy balloon. Now imagine what it would be if America fails in Ukraine.

In some ways, Putin’s war against Ukraine has become Biden’s Cuban Missile Crisis.

I was not expecting an answer so quickly. One might think that Putin has received and understands the message. Now he is relegated to waiting for Western unity to crack or his lackey to return to the White House in 2025. Only then if Biden is re-elected may we learn that Putin is willing to live in the real world. Whether or not the Russian/elites military are willing to wait that long is another matter. We need to convince them that Russia is not our enemy, Putin is, and that we have a common enemy in China.

AMERICAN LEADERSHIP: DEMOCRATS

For someone with one foot in the grave – assuming he was not already dead – Biden has had a remarkably active and robust first two+ years that would make a younger President proud. Given his domestic legislation triumphs and his world leadership role against Russia and its authoritarian allies, it is hard to imagine any Democrat challenging him. So far none has. No Democratic office holder has undertaken any actions that would signify a move towards becoming a candidate.

But one needs to keep in mind that the 2024 election is a long way off. Joe Biden easily could step down on the grounds that he has achieved what he sought to achieve and then some; now it is time to turn the ship of state over to someone else. The sticking point including for those who say they don’t want Biden to run again is who that someone else should be? At this point there is no obvious successor despite the longstanding tradition broken by Obama of choosing one’s Vice President to be the successor. On the other hand, there is the example of John Fetterman. At lot can happen in a couple of years. Great athletes tend not to retire at the top of their game; they tend to wait until they have started to decline excluding any career-ending injury.

One should keep in mind that Biden does not get any credit for his achievements. He has every right to be proud of what he has accomplished. Yet somehow that has not translated into any boost in his popularity. People still say with a straight face and in all sincerity that he has not done anything. One wonders what if anything can break through that mindset.

AMERICAN LEADERSHIP: MAGA

“The President of the United States chose Ukraine over America, while forcing the American people to pay for Ukraine’s government and war,” tweeted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) “I cannot express how much Americans hate Joe Biden.”

“Breathtaking that President Biden can show up in Ukraine to ensure their border is secure, but can’t do the same for America,” January 6 co-conspirator Rep. Scott Perry tweeted.

Rep. Matt Gaetz Gaetz and Greene are co-sponsors of the Ukraine Fatigue Act that aims to undermine support for Kyiv as the Russian invasion of its European neighbor moves into its second year. Greene wrote. “We must impeach this America Last fool before it’s too late.”

So far the Republicans have the upperhand over the MAGAs in Congress. How long that will last remains unknown. MAGA’s think differently. They have no interest in the President of the United States being the leader of the Free World. They prefer Putin to Biden. So while the call for premature withdrawal has no traction now, the situation could change.

For the moment at least, Biden has created a historically defining moment with his visit to Ukraine and speech in Poland. In the future Railroad One may become a tourist trip. If the Democrats are smart they will contrast Trump’s submissiveness to Putin at Helsinki with Biden’s defiance at Kyiv. They will contrast Trump’s “perfect phone call” to undermine Ukraine in his first impeachment with Biden’s “One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.” One year ago today, Trump praised Putin for his genius, the savvy leader who had a strong army for peace. Putin expected to be in Kyiv shortly afterwards. Instead the war has not only been Zelenskyy’s moment of glory, it has become Biden’s too. Will the American people realize that?

Donald Trump